A Christmas Back Home
by KaterinaPetrovah
Summary: Lydia Martin moved away from home right after high school, but this year she's determined to go back to Beacon Hills for Christmas. What obstacles will stand between her and the boy back home, who she's been pushing back feelings for for years? three shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1/3**

"So, if the square root of negative 25 is 5i, and our denominator is 10, our answer would be…" Lydia scanned the room of students, looking for someone to call on. Most of them were hyped up like little kids on a sugar rush at the prospect of the approaching winter break. Well, to be fair, most of them _actually_ _were_ in some sort of candy cane induced hyperactive state; and who could blame them? This was the last period before school let out for break, anyway. She decided to be lenient, and skipped over calling on the group of boys in the back who were paying about as much attention to her as they do Natalie; the smartest girl in the class, who unfortunately just hadn't figured that being the only student who dressed like the school librarian _wasn't _what it meant to be a trendsetter.

Lydia shifted her eyes and, not surprisingly, there was Natalie, sitting front and center with left hand raised high, her fingers wiggling in anticipation. Her demeanor reminded Lydia slightly of an excited puppy. She sighed, knowing that, in the long run, all that would matter were Natalie's brains and heart, not where she stood on the high school food chain.

"Natalie?" Lydia called out, relieving the young girl.

"The answer would be i over 2, Ms. Martin." Natalie replied confidently, never doubting her brain's ability to solve a simple math problem.

Lydia smiled, "That's correct." She replied just as the bell rang, signaling the period was over. She barely avoided getting trampled by the wild group of juniors, as they bolted out of the room in a chorus of "Have a happy holiday, Ms. Martin!" Lydia was just able to get out an exasperated "You too!" before the entire room was empty. She laughed quietly to herself, turning around to grab her bag, and almost jumping out of her skin when she realized the room wasn't yet completely abandoned.

"Natalie! I didn't realize you were still here." Lydia said, letting out a breath.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ms. Martin! I didn't mean to scare you! I just wanted to give you this before the break." She explained anxiously, while handing Lydia a small gift bag with a smiling snowman on the outside.

Lydia smiled genuinely at her student, pulling he into a quick hug. "Thank you so much, Natalie, this is very sweet of you."

Natalie smiled, pulling away while pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. "It was really no problem, you're my favorite teacher." Lydia smiled again at her comment, touching her arm for a moment.

"Anyway, I have to get going, my mom's probably waiting for me outside. We're going on vacation over the break! Have a good holiday, Ms. Martin!" Natalie yelled behind her, already on her way out the door.

"You too, Natalie!" Lydia shouted back, chuckling slightly at the sheer warmness of that girl, and at the fact that she was actually someone's _favorite teacher. _She'd come a long way since she was in high school, that's for sure.

She quickly slid on her peach colored pea coat, grabbed her bag and was on her way out the door. Snowflakes were beginning to lazily make their way to the ground, sticking to the asphalt like glue. Soon enough the entire state of Maine would be covered in an array of unique snowflakes all melded together to form a pristine, white cushion, coating everything like candy. Lydia felt a bubble of excitement form in her stomach at the idea of it; one thing she didn't miss about California was the lack of seasons. Unfortunately, she also had a mental list on tab of all the things she did miss.

Climbing into her white Honda Pilot, she turned on the radio station to drown out her thoughts, opting to sing along to the Mariah Carey version of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" instead. She was home within the hour, unlocking the door to her small, but impeccably furnished, apartment she shared with her boyfriend of three years, Brad. They had met shortly after Lydia moved to Maine on a job offer after college. They were, by all means, perfect for each other. They were both valedictorian in their high schools, top of their classes in college, and both had looks that anyone would kill for. Brad looked something like an Abercrombie model, and eerily reminded Lydia of her ex-boyfriend Jackson, with his perfectly sculpted jaw and piercing blue eyes. The only difference, really, was his height and raven colored hair. He worked as a lawyer in the local firm, and would most likely be home late again, like he was almost every other night.

A harsh vibration coming from her bag broke her out of her thoughts. The screen lit up with a pretty Asian girl, the name "Kira Yukimura" displayed proudly underneath. Lydia took in a sharp breath, she hadn't talked to Kira in a few months, and she and Scott were the only people she still talked to from high school.

"Hello?" Lydia answered. She heard an excited squeal from the other end, before hearing Kira's bubbly voice.

"Lydia! It feels like I haven't talked to you in forever!" Kira screeched loudly.

Lydia had to pull the phone a few inches away from her ear, her eyes squinting shut for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I've just been busy lately." She said, involuntarily slumping onto the couch.

"Well, with Christmas around the corner and all, I was wondering what you were up to?" Kira asked, cautiousness masking her hope.

"Oh, I'll probably just stay here with Brad again this year. His family might come down…" Lydia trailed off, a proper excuse not coming to mind.

"Yeah, I figured. I just thought you might want to come back home for Christmas this year, since we rarely see you anymore. We all miss you, you know." Lydia could feel that familiar moisture begin to pool in the back of her eyes at her old friends words.

"Yeah, I miss you guys too." Lydia rapidly blinked back tears, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. If Kira noticed, and Lydia was pretty sure she did, she did a really good job of hiding it, because she didn't say anything, instead saying something about Scott just getting home and bidding Lydia a quick goodbye along with a promise to call. She was grateful to Kira for not calling he out on her emotions, but once again, she was left sitting alone, wiping a few stray tears with the back of her hand.

Standing up, she straightened out her dress and walked to the kitchen, her heels she hadn't bothered to take off making clicking noises against the hard wood floor. On her way there, though, something caught her eye. Natalie's snowman gift bag was smiling up at her in an annoyingly cheerful way; picking it up she gently removed the card first, rustling the bright green tissue paper slightly.

_Dear Ms. Martin,_

_I remembered you said were interested in the supernatural, so when I saw this I thought of you. I hope you have a fantastic break!_

_Your student, _

_Natalie Hart_

Lydia smirked at the card, "An interest is a bit of an understatement." She whispered cynically to herself. She'd been keeping herself company a lot lately. Opening the bag further, she pulled out a book entitled "Supernatural: Fact or Myth?" by Trevor Lockwood. Her perfectly manicured nails mindlessly thumbed through the pages, landing on a random one. She could have sworn this was some kind of joke when the page she landed on was about werewolves. A small laugh escaped her previously sealed lips, and she was hit with a wave of nostalgia. First a call from Kira, and now this; she really did miss everyone from Beacon Hills… maybe Christmas back home wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. It's not like she could hide from her past forever, and if there was one thing Lydia Martin didn't do, it was run away from her problems.

Sighing, she glanced at the clock, which flashed 4:00. Brad probably wouldn't be home for another few hours, so she had some time to herself. Groaning, she began to clean up the house a bit and start dinner.

At 12:00 am Brad was just wrestling with getting his key into the door, and dinner was already cold as the snow falling outside, but it was still sitting at the table waiting for him. Lydia would have been to if she hadn't opted for a nap on the couch instead.

"Lydia?" Brad called a little too loudly; rudely causing Lydia to snap out of her much needed slumber. She sat up slowly and stretched out her sore limbs.

"In here." She yawned, her head lolling back slightly.

"Hey." Brad said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Dinner's still on the table." She said, pointing to the chicken she had made earlier.

"Oh, it's ok, I ate at work." He smiled insincerely, "I'm actually pretty beat, I think I'm just gonna hit the sack." He said, turning towards their bedroom.

"Wait!" Lydia almost shouted, perspiration lightly coating her palms as her anxiety rose; she'd never brought Brad to Beacon Hills to meet her old friends, before. "Um, I talked to my friend Kira from high school today, and she actually invited me back home for Christmas… I was wondering if you wanted to spend the holidays in California this year?" Lydia's green eyes searched his blue ones for a moment, waiting impatiently for a response.

"Uh, I don't know babe, I kind of have a lot of work to do here. I'm not so sure that's a good idea." He replied, as though he'd planned for this type of question beforehand.

But hell would freeze over before Lydia Martin was turned down in something she was determined to get, and in that moment she realized she_ really_ wanted to go back home for Christmas. So, she stood a little taller, even without her heels, and rolled back her shoulders. "Well, I think it's a good idea, and I'm going either way."

"Lydia." Brad said, frustrated.

"Brad." Lydia matched his stance, speaking his name with an untamed fierceness.

Brad sighed, annoyed. He dragged a hand down his face before replying. "Fine. We'll go visit your little friends, but I'm not staying there the full week, I have responsibilities." He said, turning away from her and ducking into their room.

"Whatever." She smirked, shooting Kira a quick text that they were coming for Christmas, before following Brad into their bedroom.

Lydia woke with a start to the sound of her alarm clock beeping. She sat up groggily, pressing the button to stop the horrid noise. Memories from the day before quickly invaded her mind, and she was up in a minute from the pure excitement of it all. She showered, packed, confirmed their plane tickets, and was yelling at Brad to get in the car by 11:30 am.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Brad yelled back at his girlfriend, almost tripping on his way out the door. "I just need to make one quick stop at work before we go to the airport." He said, checking his phone.

"Really?" Lydia questioned dryly; even though she knew she wouldn't be able to change his already made up mind.

"Yeah." He replied, hopping into the drivers seat, and waiting for Lydia to buckle up before speeding down the icy road towards the law firm.

"Wait here, I'll be right out." Brad said in between pecking Lydia on the cheek and slamming the door on her face.

As soon as he was far enough away from the car, and Lydia, Brad pulled his phone out of his pocket again.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I'm headed up now" He spoke coolly to the person on the other end, letting himself into the abandoned building and riding the elevator quietly up to the seventh floor. As soon as the doors opened, they revealed a leggy platinum blonde with an obvious boob job, who looked like she was better suited to be walking the streets, rather than the halls of an expensive law firm.

"Jeanine." Brad said, admiring the way her body perfectly filled out her revealing maroon colored dress.

"Is it true? You're going to California for the holidays, instead of spending them with me?" Her mocha colored eyes were wide and defenseless.

Brad looked at his assistant for a moment longer before answering her, "Yeah, I'm sorry babe, but my girlfriend really wants to go back home for Christmas. I'll only be gone for a few days."

"Ugh, I hate that word on her, _girlfriend._" Jeanine shivered, looking down. Brad took a step closer to her, tilting her chin up so her eyes met his once again.

"I know you do, but pretty soon you'll be my girlfriend, and we won't have to worry about her again, okay? I love you." Jeanine eagerly believed Brad's deceptions, as she nodded her head quickly, her doe eyes widening in ignorant elation. He leaned down, capturing her plump, strawberry tasting lips with his own.

"Wow, I love you, too!" Jeanine replied after he pulled away, throwing her arms ecstatically around him as if he'd just found the cure for cancer. Brad held her for a second before telling her he'd better get going, and promising to call her once he got to California.

Lydia turned at the sound of Brad opening the car door again, "Ready to go?" she asked him, an innocent smile on her lips.

"Yup, all set." He replied, smiling quickly at her, and starting back down the icy road.

By the time their 5-hour flight landed, it was around 7 o'clock and to say they could eat an elephant each was an understatement. Luckily, the always-considerate Kira knew this would be the case, and booked a late dinner at a new Italian place.

As soon as Lydia spotted Scott and Kira at the welcome gate, she flung herself into each of their arms like a little kid who's parents just came back home after a night out.

"I'm so excited you're here!" Kira squealed, clapping her small hands together in thrill, as they exited the airport and hopped into Scott's car.

"Yeah, us too." Lydia replied genuinely, smiling at her friend through the rear view mirror.

"So, I made us some reservations at La Bistro, with some of our other friends." Scott explained while turning down the familiar road to the town of Beacon Hills. Lydia felt her blood run cold for a minute, sure she was happy to see her pack again, but the aspect of seeing one person in particular made her stomach release a thousand little butterflies. Lydia pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind before replying,

"Yeah, I'm just really excited to be home again."

"I can't wait to meet some more of your old friends, as well." Brad said, giving Lydia a smile. She smiled back, her thoughts from a minute ago becoming bolder as they drove further into the town. They stopped at Scott and Kira's house first to unpack, driving up the circular driveway to reveal a beautiful Victorian style home.

Lydia's eyes widen at the simple beauty of her friends' home, admiring the cherry blossom tree outside the porch.

"Well, come on in! I'll take you to your room." Kira said, grasping Lydia's hand and pulling her upstairs, while the guys were left to carry the luggage up the stairs like pack mules.

Kira stopped abruptly, swinging open one of the crisp white doors to reveal a huge guest bedroom, decorated welcomingly. "Oh, wow, your house is beautiful!" Lydia exclaimed, turning to face her friend.

"Oh, no, I'm sure yours is decorated a million times better than mine." Kira babbled on, still holding the strawberry blonde's hand in hers. "We'll let you guys unpack and get dressed, and then we'll get going!" Kira breathed excitedly, releasing Lydia and turning on her heel, dragging Scott out with her.

"They seem nice." Brad said in monotone before grabbing a change of clothes and disappearing into the bathroom.

"Yeah, they're great actually." Lydia yelled at him through the door, willing him to see the sheer amazingness of her friends. She heard him reply with a quick humph, and she just rolled her eyes and pulled out a pretty floral dress.

Once they were in the car again, Lydia could feel her excitement and nerves fighting for first place, until they finally just melted together, forming an uncomfortable knot in her stomach. She dragged her wet palms down the front of her dress once the car stopped in front of the restaurant. She felt Brad swing an arm around her shoulder as the waiter asked for their reservation.

"Yeah, it's under McCall." Scott replied with a sideways smile, and the waiter lead them to a large table in the back of the restaurant. Lydia tried to count all the seats, because it honestly looked like Scott and Kira had invited all of Beacon Hills to welcome Lydia home.

"Holy shit, what were you, the mayor of this town?" Brad whispered to Lydia, referring to the 12 still empty chairs after the four of them had already sat down. Lydia snorted, _of high school maybe_, she thought to herself. But, everything began to make sense once she remembered how much all these people meant to her.

There was Melissa and the sheriff, who she learned were finally engaged, and Chris Argent, who'd come back home to be with family for the holidays. Isaac had come back too, with his girlfriend of 2 years, who Lydia was a little surprised to find out was Cora. That surely must've taken Derek at least a year to approve of. But she figured love had softened the sour wolf up a bit, because he was still with Braeden, who, and even Brad would agree, still looked like some sort of assassin. Of course there was her mother, who Lydia almost strangled with how tightly she hugged her. Liam was there too, the baby of the pack, she was happy to see doing so well. Malia, she learned, was still single after she and Stiles had broken up junior year, not that she needed a man to take care of her.

_Stiles_ she finally let the thought filtrate through her, his name on constant repeat in her mind, until she finally looked up to see his pair of honey eyes, his splay of moles and messy chocolate brown hair, placed strategically on his of gangly limbs. She was about to say something witty to him, when she felt her heart drop at the sight of a gorgeous brunette, with tanned skin and hazel eyes walk through the door behind him. She could feel her heartbeat in her throat when Stiles wrapped his arms around her skinny shoulders, smiling his boyish smile. His eyes focused on the girl next to him, instead of the girl who still had pieces of him embedded in her heart.

Scott, sensing the disappointment radiating from Lydia, reached over to discretely grab her hand. "I'm sorry." He whispered, his dark eyes capturing her green ones for a moment. She blinked quickly, looking away and pulling her hand out of his grasp, "For what?" she asked, desperately trying to keep her emotions from toppling over and breaking the gates of her resolve.

"Lydia!" She heard Stiles yell, excitement taking over his voice. "It's so good to finally see you again! This is Jennifer." He shouted, giving the girl a name. "Jen, this is Lydia, and…" He trailed off, looking at the man sitting next to Lydia.

"Brad." Brad finished for him, reaching over to shake his hand.

"And this is Brad." Stiles completed his sentence, angling his body towards Jen.

"It's so nice to meet you." Jen said sweetly.

"You too." Lydia replied, although it was probably the furthest from the truth she could get right now.

She sighed deeply, knowing this was going to be a long trip after all.

**Thanks so much for reading! Feel free to leave a review!**

**-xx KaterinaPetrovah**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2/3**

The warm blankets tangled around Lydia, her bright hair fanned out around her pillow; dulled slightly by the lack of light in the room. Her racing mind kept her from falling into synch with the rhythmic pattern of Brad breathing next to her. The only thing she could focus on were her rabid thoughts from dinner the night before, which were all constantly fighting for a spot in the forefront of her mind.

She really wanted to hate Jennifer, and maybe if she were still in high school she could have pulled it off, but the truth of the matter was, the brunette was one of the sweetest people she ever met, and Stiles deserved somebody like her. Not to mention she was completely okay with the unusual factors in their lives, which someone like Brad would surely run from if he knew. She felt sick just thinking of Brad trying to assimilate into that life.

A thought she had been so good at suppressing suddenly forced its way into her brain, breaking her carefully sculpted restraints and making the blankets around her somehow even more suffocating. _She still had feelings for Stiles_. She groaned slightly to herself, pressing her face into her pillow.

She'd left town to escape all of this, to start fresh, but something was always pushing her back and for once she didn't mind being pushed around. She didn't want to run from her problems anymore. Exhaustion began to cloud her mind, and she quickly slipped into a fitful sleep, her thoughts still rampaging through her brain.

"Lydiiiaaa, Lydiiiiaaaaaa." Lydia's doe eyes sprung open at the sound of her name being dragged out like some kind of ghost, which really wouldn't even be that weird for this town. Rubbing her eyes, she groaned, turning away from Kira who was trying, and failing, to shake her friend awake.

"Lydia, it's time to wake up." Kira said, pushing a hand through her thick, raven colored hair.

"Ten more minutes." Lydia mumbled into her pillow, largely resembling a little kid who didn't want to get up for school.

"Come on, we're going to brunch! Just us girls, it will be fun! Me, you, Melissa, Jennifer-" Kira was cut off by another groan from Lydia.

"Fine, I'm getting up." She said, realizing for the first time that Brad wasn't in bed anymore. How long had she been asleep? Glancing at the clock, the bright numbers told her it was 10:00. It had certainly been a while since she'd slept that late.

Trudging into the shower, she heard Kira squeal behind her and yell to be ready in a half hour. The warm water felt soothing against her bare skin, relieving some of her pent up tension. After she finished, she carefully applied her makeup and slid into a casual dress, her heels clicking on the perfectly finished stairs as she descended them down to the kitchen, where Kira was.

"Oh good, you're ready! The guys already went out and we're gonna meet the girls at the restaurant." Kira chirped excitedly, grabbing her keys and leading Lydia out the door. The quickly reached the restaurant; a quaint little cottage looking place Lydia remembered slightly from high school as a place her mother used to go with her friends. The chipping sign read "Toast" in weathered blue paint. The pair entered the restaurant, immediately spotting the other women already there.

"Hi, you guys made it!" Melissa said, standing to hug each of them.

Lydia smiled, returning the hug and sitting down in one of the cushioned seats. She politely greeted everyone else at the table, which consisted of her mother, Malia, Cora, Braeden and Jennifer. She'd managed to answer most questions about herself last night, so brunch was mostly just her half listening to Cora's latest relationship problems and Melissa's engagement story for the thousandth time. She was munching on her salad, thinking maybe this brunch wouldn't be so bad after all, when_ his_ name came up.

Lydia's neck snapped up, resulting in a sharp pain that was numbed by her adrenaline in the moment. Her green eyes immediately focused on Jennifer, who was going on about how she and Stiles met by fault of her spilling pumpkin spice latte all over him. Lydia almost barfed at how much her story sounded like a romantic comedy. She managed to choke out a "How sweet!" along with the rest of the women.

"So, Lydia, Stiles tells me you guys were close in high school." Jennifer tried to spark a conversation between herself and the strawberry blonde.

Lydia faltered for a moment, "Yeah, we were all close." She gestured towards Kira and Malia.

Jennifer nodded her head, remembering Stiles telling her something about dating Malia in high school. "Oh yeah, you and Stiles dated! He had a crush on you since like grade school, right?" Jennifer asked, turning towards Malia.

Lydia almost choked on her piece of lettuce, sitting straight up in her chair. The were coyote's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, "Uh, no, we actually didn't meet until junior year... He had a crush on Lydia for a while, though." Malia finished meekly, distracting herself by shoving a fry into her mouth.

Jennifer looked at Lydia, the tension at the table rising like a helium filled balloon. Her emerald eyes peered up from the salad in front of her, which had suddenly become very interesting.

"Yeah, he used to like me, but it never amounted to anything. We're just good friends." Lydia smiled, easily masking her emotions through years of practice, but secretly dragging her sweaty palms down the skirt of her dress.

Kira was the one to break the tension, babbling on about holiday plans. "So, you're all coming to my house for Christmas Eve tomorrow, right?"

This elicited a chorus of excitement from everyone else at the table, giving Lydia a nonverbal okay to mentally zone out again. By the end of brunch, Kira had decided to with Braeden to help her find a late Christmas gift for Derek, leaving Lydia to take the car alone. She turned on the radio, allowing the music to drown out her thoughts for a while. She took a detour to stop and buy a single red rose, and then continued on her way to her destination.

An eerie feeling washed over her as she pulled up into a parking space. The afternoon light coated everything in its path, drawing shadows from the headstones surrounding her. Her heels sunk slightly into the grass as she made her way towards the stone with her best friend's name carved across it. She placed the rose atop the stone, blinking back salty tears.

"Hey, Allison." She began, a few tears escaping her watery eyes.

"I'm sorry I haven't been to visit you in a while, I guess I just thought starting over would be easier." She drew in a breath, allowing her normally restrained thoughts to pour shamelessly out of her mouth.

"It's just; I don't want to run anymore. I know I'm stronger than this and smarter than this, but... It's just so hard you know? And then there's _him_-"

"Lydia?" Lydia whipped around, her loose curls smacking her in her face, a few strands sticking to her damp cheeks. Her heartbeat sped up at the sight of him behind her.

"Stiles." She responded, messily wiping the moisture from her face.

He took a step closer to her, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, um, just emotional I guess. I'm fine." She said, trying to hide behind her perfectly designed mask once again.

Stiles recognized the flicker of emotion in her eyes, and took another tentative step towards her.

"Yeah, I was just visiting my mom. The holidays are always hard." He said in a whisper.

"Yeah." She sobbed, unable to keep her emotions from being unmasked. The dam behind her eyes suddenly broke, causing a flood.

"Hey, hey, hey." Stiles took one more step forward, closing the gap between their bodies and pulling her into his embrace.

She shook in his grip, an earthquake radiating through her small frame. She buried her face in his neck as he tightened his grip on her. After a few moments she pulled away slightly.

"Sorry." She said, raking a hand back through her copper hair.

"Don't be, you know I think you look really beautiful when you cry." He gently wiped away her fallen tears.

Lydia laughed, remembering that night he told her that in high school. Stiles smiled at her, his honey eyes meeting her emerald ones.

"You okay?" He asked, a deeper meaning hidden in his tone.

"I will be." She answered, her breath hitching in her throat as he leaned closer to her. Her eyes were about to flutter close when a harsh ringing sound caused them to jump apart, Stiles flailing his arms awkwardly.

"Sorry." Lydia said, fishing her phone out of her bag. _It's not like that was totally cliché or anything…_ she thought sardonically to herself.

"No, it's- it's okay, totally fine." He said, taking a few more steps backward.

"It's Brad," she said starting to head towards her car again, "I'll see you tomorrow? At Scott and Kira's?"

"Yeah, yeah I'll be there." Stiles smiled, giving her a wave.

Lydia smiled before turning her back to him and answering the phone disappointedly. Her smile was instantly wiped away at her having to leave Stiles behind.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey, babe." Brad's voice carried over through her phone. "I was wondering what time you're planning on getting back."

Lydia sighed, "I don't know, maybe in an hour or so. I have some things I want to do." She said, planning on driving around town for a while and maybe visiting with her mother.

"Ok, I was just wondering. I have a surprise for you. I'll see you later." He said before hanging up the phone.

Lydia had never been so unexcited for a surprise in her life.

* * *

><p>Brad slid his phone back into his pocket, a smirk playing on his lips.<p>

He turned back to the pretty blonde at the end of the bar, ready to continue flirting with her before something caught his eye.

That hot brunette from dinner last night just walked through the door. _Malia?_ He thinks her name is.

"I need to go." He bid the blonde goodbye and started towards Malia instead.

"Hey, you're friends with Lydia, right?" He asked once he reached her.

Malia turned towards him, "Yeah, and you're Brad right? Lydia's boyfriend? I'm Malia." She said with a smile.

_Knew it_ he thought smugly. "Yup." He said, leaning closer to her. "I noticed you at dinner last night, I couldn't forget this body even if I tried." He purred, his hand roaming over her hip.

Malia jerked away, holding back a growl. "What the hell?" She yelled, drawing attention from the people around her.

"You're disgusting." She pushed him away and strutted out the door, ready to call Lydia.

"Well you dress like a slut! You shouldn't be such a tease!" He screamed after her, rejection not gelling well with him.

He glanced around at the surprised faces staring at him and pushed open the door, searching for another bar in this godforsaken town.

**Hope everyone's enjoying this story so far! Sorry it took me so long to update. Please feel free to leave a review, they help a lot :)**

**-xx KaterinaPetrovah**


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3/3**

Malia sat in her car, attempting to dial Lydia's number over and over again, but something stopped her every time. Of course, she wanted her estranged friend to know her boyfriend was a total douchebag, but telling someone news like that over the phone… she just couldn't do it.

Her mind kept reciting those lessons Stiles gave her so long ago, about how to behave like a human being. She knew telling Lydia the truth was the right thing to do, but she also knew telling someone bad news on the phone could be a recipe for disaster. She'd definitely come too far to hurt someone like that again. So, she settled for driving home and telling Lydia tomorrow, even if she felt like she was about to implode at any moment. Little did she know, blurting news like that out in front of all those friends and family might end in disaster as well.

* * *

><p>Lydia shut the door to the house quietly behind her, while brushing off a few flakes of newly fallen snow from her pea coat. It was late, and the eerie moonlight cast long shadows across the furniture. She'd considered just spending the night at her mother's house, but ultimately decided against it. She figured Scott, Kira and possibly Brad were asleep by now, so she gently removed her heels and tip toed soundlessly up the stairs.<p>

She entered to guest room to find Brad already passed out in their bed. Her eyes confirming what she already assumed, she moved into the bathroom and tediously removed all of her makeup before pulling on a comfortable pair of pajamas and flopping down next to Brad.

The sudden movement of her small body weighing down the bed caused Brad to stir. His blue eyes opened lazily, registering that Lydia was back. It was then that a thought popped into her head.

"Didn't you say you had a surprise for me?" Lydia asked, expecting nothing, but asking anyway.

There was a flicker of realization in his eyes, as they recalled the lie he'd told her to keep her suspicions at bay. "Oh, right." He began, quickly trying to think of a way to cover his deceitful tracks with an angelic fib. "I was going to take you out for dinner, but you weren't home in time." He watched her carefully, searching for a sign of anger beneath her emerald eyes.

Lydia just looked at him in disbelief for a moment, before curtly nodding and rolling onto her side, away from him. Just like she thought it would, the surprise amounted to a disappointing nothing. Brad seemed to take that as a sign he was in the clear and resumed snoring.

Lydia sighed internally, her eyelids beginning to grow heavy with the events of the past few days. They began to lull closed, and she allowed sleep to take her prisoner. Thoughts of Stiles and their almost kiss at the cemetery danced into her mind as she drifted into that fuzzy state between being awake and asleep. She would have stayed in that state forever if she could, but soon enough the harsh sound of her alarm was beeping annoyingly in her ears.

She slammed her hand on the snooze button to quiet its incessant cries, and sat up in bed. She stretched her sore limbs, deciding to get an early start on the day. Leaving Brad's sleeping form behind, she hopped into the warm shower and began to get ready. Only when the hot water began to awaken her sleep-numbed senses did she remember that today was actually a holiday. _It's Christmas Eve._ She reminded herself, stepping out of her quick shower and ringing out her long hair. She pulled on a warm robe and stepped back into the adjoined guest room where Brad was still sleeping soundlessly.

Surprisingly, the loud ringing of his cell phone did nothing to wake him up, and Lydia went to silence the electronic dings. She picked his phone up hastily, the noise starting to grate on her nerves, and answered with a slightly too high pitched, "Hello?"

"…Brad?" the feminine voice spoke confusedly on the other end.

"No, this is his _girlfriend._ Who is this?" Lydia asked, anger steadily leaking into her tone. She always was the territorial type.

"His girlfriend? You guys are still together?!" the other girl cried, sounding alarmingly like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum. Lydia could easily sense her immaturity through the speaker of her phone.

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Lydia seethed.

The girl seemed unfazed by the redhead's attitude, "Look, just tell him to call me back. He knows my number." The dial tone boldly followed her unentitled statement.

"Bitch." Lydia cursed to herself, slamming the phone down on the bedside table, and finally causing Brad to wake up.

"What the hell?" He mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes and contemplating what the loud noise could have been.

"Oh, so that wakes you up." Lydia half-yelled, throwing her arms up as she grabbed some clothes and walked back into the bathroom to finish getting ready; leaving a very confused Brad behind.

Lydia wasn't stupid, and she had a pretty clear idea of what was going on behind her back, but if there was one thing she didn't want to do, it was put a damper on everyone's Christmas. She knew if her friends and family knew what was really going on, they'd coddle her the rest of her trip, and all that would do is succeed in making everyone feel worse. Plus, the prideful side of Lydia refused to look weak, so she figured she would wear her now comfortable mask and hide away her problems for the rest of her stay in Beacon Hills. But, of course, that didn't mean Lydia couldn't mess a little with Brad first, and then proceed break his sky-high pride into unfixable shambles.

After she was finished applying her makeup and fashioning her hair into loose curls, she pulled on a pretty red dress and a pair of black tights, along with her infamous heels; figuring Kira would want her ready sooner than later.

She brushed passed Brad on her way out of the bathroom, managing to step on one of his bare toes with the heel of her shoe. She heard him hiss in pain, his hands immediately finding the flesh of his now throbbing toe.

"What the fuck, Lyds?" he asked, the pain from his toe seeping into his voice.

"Sorry." She said void of all emotion, not even giving him the courtesy of glancing back to see if he was alright, as she glided out the door and down the stairs. She greeted Kira with a bemused smile when she reached the kitchen.

"What's got you smiling so wide?" Kira asked, whilst putting the finishing touches on a chocolate cake.

"Holiday Spirit, I guess." Lydia replied, a sense of amusement only she understood sneakily lacing itself throughout her words.

Kira giggled as Lydia began to help her set up for the party.

* * *

><p>In just a few short hours, the house was full of people chatting, and cheerful music blasting. And, so far, Lydia had managed to verbally embarrass Brad a multitude of ways in front of Derek, Braeden, Cora and Isaac. Although her head was completely into the task at hand, seamlessly feeding witty remarks to her mouth, her eyes were focused on a certain boy across the room, who was simultaneously causing her heart beat to speed up. She was planning to continue her night the same way it was already going, when Malia entered the house in a nervous frenzy.<p>

"Malia, are you ok?" Scott asked as she brushed passed him, gaining everyone's attention as she walked straight up to Lydia.

"Lydia, I need to talk to you." Something in the were coyote's eyes told Lydia she was serious.

"What's wrong?" the banshee began to ask, but Brad started to intervene.

"Malia, I don't think now's really the time." Brad laughed nervously, wrapping his hand around her forearm in attempt to pull her away from Lydia.

"Let go of me!" Malia jerked her arm out of his grasp, anger evident in her mocha colored eyes. Her actions caused the rest of the party, who weren't already watching the scene unfold around them, to tune in to what was going on.

Scott and Derek were immediately holding Brad back from harming anyone, and Kira was at Malia's side, trying to calm her friend down. Lydia's eyes met Stiles' worried ones for a moment across the room, and then flitted nervously back to what was going on in front of her, but not before noticing Jennifer wasn't with him. In fact, she hadn't seen Jennifer the whole party… _This isn't important right now,_ Lydia reminded herself, returning her attention back to Malia and Brad.

"Lydia," Malia's voice held a mixture of warning and sympathy. Lydia turned stiffly towards her, not enjoying having all these eyes on her for such a negative reason. In fact, this is exactly what she'd been trying to avoid.

"I think he's cheating on you, he hit on me yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I saw him flirting with some bitch at the bar before he saw me." Malia's eyes were filled with sympathy, "I swear, I was gonna call you! I just didn't think was the type of thing to tell you over the phone." She anxiously rambled off, trying to explain herself.

Lydia nodded; knowing Malia just publicly confirmed what she already knew.

"What? Lydia, she's lying! Come on, you know me, baby. I would never hurt you like that." Brad's voice penetrated the previously silent room with a false tone of sincerity.

Lydia turned slowly towards him, her anger practically radiating off of her small frame. Anyone in a fifty-foot radius of her, werewolves included, would shit their pants out of fear if her gaze was intended for them. Brad's eyes widened considerably, waiting to see if she would take pity on his pleas.

Lydia tilted her head in an eerily calm way and narrowed her eyes at the boy in front of her. "Save it, asshole. I already _knew." _Her voice was condescending enough to raise the hairs on the back of his neck.

"Wha-" Brad's confused voice was cut off by Lydia's empowered one.

"I answered your phone this morning, and some bitch was asking for you. She sounded pretty slutty to me, which I guess actually makes her the perfect match for you. A two-timing bastard and a plastic whore; _a match made in heaven." _Lydia's words were seeped in venom, her hands placed menacingly on her hips. She figured now was as good a time as any to fry him.

"Lyds, I never meant to-" He was cut off once again by a sharp pain in his right cheek, realizing a second later it was the result of Lydia slapping him across the face.

"Just get out." Lydia finally felt the moisture make an appearance behind her eyes, and quickly excused herself, rushing up the stairs and away form everyone else.

She could hear Brad's anger take hold of him, as he yelled irrational curses at her, which ended in one of the guys punching in the face and pushing outside into the cold night air.

She fell down against the bed, allowing the tears to spill over the rims of her eyes. A knock at the door distracted her from the crushing embarrassment she was feeling.

On the other side of the door was Stiles, holding a bag of frozen peas to his swollen hand.

"Oh my god, did you hit him?!" Lydia laughed lightly, her tears beginning to cease.

Stiles smiled at her, returning the laugh, "Yeah, he was kinda being an asshole." He said, walking further into the room and closing the door behind him. His laughter was dulled when he looked into her eyes.

"Are you ok?" he asked, knowing the answer full well, but feeling the need to ask anyway.

Lydia's eyes immediately refilled with tears, and Stiles closed the gap between them for the second time that week.

"Lyds, I'm so sorry. That guy was such an asshole, you deserve to be with someone who appreciates how remarkable you are." He spoke into her hair, feeling her tighten her grip around his torso. "And just so you know, you were a total _badass _down there. I always knew you were tough, but that was seriously amazing, Lyds. You're amazing." Lydia laughed against his chest, the sound reverberating throughout her body.

He pulled gently away from her, brushing a few loose strands of hair behind her ears, his eyes boring into her own. It felt like the world had stopped moving as his lips captured hers, the moment she had dreamed of actually coming true. They moved in a rhythmically blissful pattern, before a horrifying thought invaded her perfect moment. _He was still with Jennifer. _And Lydia wouldn't do what Brad just did to her to anyone else.

She jerked away, startling both Stiles and herself. "Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. You just broke up with Brad, and I just went right in and kissed you, stupid-"

"No, no, it's not that." Lydia was quick to correct his thought cycle, "It's just, Jennifer…" Lydia trailed off.

"Lydia, Jennifer and I broke up last night. I couldn't stop thinking about you ever since you got back here, especially after what happened at the cemetery yesterday. That's why she isn't here tonight." Lydia's mind clicked in realization as Stiles continued, "And if you even think for one minute that there's any competition between you and her, you really are crazy. I love you, Lydia."

Lydia's smiled widened like crazy, reaching up to kiss him again, "I love you, too." She whispered as they broke apart.

Maybe Christmas was becoming her favorite holiday, after all.

* * *

><p>Lydia smiled at he reflection, her manicured fingers fixing the loose curls cascading down her shoulders. She was wearing a gorgeous white dress, ready to marry the man of her dreams. Lydia moved back to Beacon Hills immediately after they'd gotten back together, and as soon as he'd proposed to her, they'd decided to have the wedding on Christmas Eve exactly a year after they'd first gotten together. She'd planned a small, yet beautiful, wedding that consisted of only their closest friends and family.<p>

She peaked out the window of the church to see the snow lightly falling, dusting everything in its path with its pristine white color. A knock at the door broke her out of her trance, and she turned to see Kira telling her they were starting. She smiled at her maid of honor, and walked with her to grand doors they were entering through. She looped arms with her father, who'd flown back to Beacon Hills for his daughter's wedding, and descended down the aisle on her cue. All eyes were on Lydia, who looked like some sort of fairy tale princess, but all Lydia could see was her prince.

Their eyes met as she glided towards him, reforming an unbreakable bond. They held that glance for the rest of the ceremony, knowing this is where they're supposed to be. All paths lead them to this instant, every crazy twist and turn was in anticipation for the utter happiness that came along with this moment.

Yeah, it was pretty safe to say Christmas was both Lydia and Stiles' new favorite holiday.

**Thanks so much for reading this story! Sorry the last part came out so late, but I hope you still enjoyed it! Oh, and I totally just realized I made Lydia's student in part 1 have the same name as her mom (Natalie) lol, I didn't mean to do that. Please leave a review!**

**-xx KaterinaPetrovah**


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